Means for preserving pile heads



April 2, 1935. l E. L .BowEN 1,996,400 y Filed Se 'c l 1954 Wim PatentedApr. 2, 1935 TA'rss 3C1aims.

This invention relates to the art oi wood preserving, particularly tothe preservation of wood piling, and has as a primary object theprovision of a method of treating the upper ends 5 or heads of drivenpiles with preserving means renewable at desired intervals whereby theei'- fective life oipiles may be prolonged over practically anindeiinite period of time. Another object is the provision of novelmeans for practicing the 'method. Other objects will be ap-v parent Tromthe description to those skilled inthe art.

At the present time it is 'conventional to preserve piles byimpregnating with creosote. However this method is not eilective inpreserving the pile heads due to the fact that under the powerful blowsof a pile driver a large proportion of the creosote is exuded from thebody of the pile at and adjacent the head. This area of the body thuslacks a requisite quantity of the preservative and deterioration anddecay sets in progressively downward from the pile head. Oninstallations where pile heads remain exposed it is customary to nail asquare sheet of copper onto the flat head and to bend down the cornerswhere they are not trimmed off. This practice gives the pile head arough appearance and in the majority of instances fails to cover theentire area oi' the head so that there is exposure to the action of theelements which hastens the inevitable deterioration of the headresulting from the insuiiiciency of creosote, or the particularpreservative employed.

In the practice of my method, the creosoted pile after being driven intopomtion is treated at the head in a mannerl to insure a continuouscapillary distribution of a liquid preservative, such as creosote, intothat portion o! the pile at and adjacent the head from whichpreservative has been 'exuded in the driving operation, thus supplyingthe deficiency. Furthermore, the pile head is periodically so treated toreplenish preservative lost through surface discharge.

vIn carrying out the method ofthis Vinvention I employ a liquidpreservative reservoir seated on the pile head and protected by a coverremovably attached to the head, the pile head being fitted as byappropriate trimming into the Figure 1 ls a vertical section'through apilingv installation as treated in accordance with the invention.

(el. si-v'i) Figure 2 is a perspective `view of the cover elementemployed.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the preservative reservoir.

As mustrated, a pue or post 4 after being.`

driven into position in the ground or bed 5, is treated at its upper endor head 6 by laying thereon a gravity feed reservoir of creosote, suchas a fibrous body l, in this instance a circular felt pad,super-saturated with creosote.

Over the saturated pad there is then placed a at cover comprising anannular plate 8 oi suitable material, preferably thincopper, formed assubstantially an inverted pie'plate with a flared depending marginalange 9, the pile head having iirst been trimmed for a tight fittingengagement within the iiange. Detachable securing elements such asscrews i0 engaged through screw holes Il in the ange 9 serve tofasten'the cover in position with the attaching screws engaging the pilehead beneath the plane of the reservoir pad 1. The external diameterofthe cover is the same or slightly less, but not greater, than thediameter of the pile so that the ilange 9 does not projectcircumferentially of the pile, and a tight tting engagement of the coveris assured.

vThe tight engagement oi the cover seals the` creosote reservoir padagainst loss of the preservative so that the entire content is availablefor capillary distribution throughout the pile head and upper endportion oi' the pile. At suitable intervals the detachable cover isremoved and the reservoir pad is replenished, after which the cover isreplaced until the n'ext period of treatment.

I claim:

1. In combination, a wood pile provided with a bevel trimmed portion atits upper Peripheral edge, a brous pad saturated with alliquidpreservative and seated loosely on the pile top, an annular cover plateloosely seated over said pad and having a areddepending marginal flangetightly fitting the bevel portion of said pile, and detachable securingelements e `the body of said pile through said depending ange, themaximum diameter of said ange being no greater than that of the pile.

2. In combination, a wood pile having a irustoconically trimmed top, apad saturated with a liquid preservative and seated loosely on the natportion of the top,` a irusto-conical cover plate seated loosely oversaidpad and tightly .engaging the trimmed pile top, securing elementsdetachably engaging the pile body through the peripheral wall portion ofthe cover plate, and the maximum diameter of said cover plate being lessthan the diameter of the pile immediately below the base of itsrusto-conically trimmed top.

3. A preservative cover for wood pile heads,

5 comprising a flat annular plate provided with an outwardly flareddepending marginal ange of a lesser diameter than the diameter of a pilewith which the cover may be associated, in combination with a creosotesaturated at fabric pad of an area less than the area of the at portionof said plate, and loosely underlying said plate when associatedtherewith in service position.

EVERETI'E L. BOWEN. I

